Outline:
I Thesis: The Medieval Period was called “The Dark Ages” mainly because of the religious control.
II The literature during this time period was mostly regulated by the church.
A. anonymous pieces of literature
1. fear of punishment
B. lack of literature
1. lack of ideas
a. christianity
C. religious purposes only
D. examples
1. Beowulf
2. Digenis Acritas
3. The Cloud of Unknowing
III The art of the Medieval Period contributed greatly to the reason why this era was called “The Dark Ages”.
A. artwork based on relgious events
1. portrayed Christian events
B. anonymous work
C. Gothic art
1. Dark/dark colors
D. examples
1. Duccio di Buoninsegna
2. Konrad Witz
3. Giotto
E. Architects/architecture
1. churches/cathedrals
IV.
V. Conclusion
The Medieval Period was called “The Dark Ages” mainly because of the religious control. To start, the church held all power and people felt obliged to follows all the rules of the church. If the people didn’t follow these obligations, they were excommunicated. Christianity also influenced a lot of work during this time which meant people weren’t allowed to develop their own ideas. This reliance on religion affected the literature, art and philosophies of this time.
The literature during this time period was mostly regulated by the church. First, the church controlled much of what people did, said, and created, leaving many people fearful of their punishment if they disobeyed the rules of the church. This intimidation led authors to make much of their work anonymous in order to cover up their identities and avoid any punishment. For that reason, much of the medieval literature was not claimed to just one person. Also, little literature was being produced because the ideas were limited. Since Christianity discouraged creating own ideas and literature was restricted to religious purposes only, there was little literature produced during this era. Some examples of medieval literature are Beowulf, Digenis Acritas and The Cloud of Unknowing, all of which contain some religious background. Beowulf is one of the most important works of Anglo Saxon and is an epic poem about a hero defeating a fiend. Digenus Acritas is another famous epic poem and The Cloud of Unknowing is a guide to seek god. Overall, literature contributed to the name of “The Dark Ages” because of the anonymous authors and the lack of ideas.
The art of the Medieval Period contributed greatly to the reason why this era was called “The Dark Ages”. Similar to literature, many artists had to base their work on religious events or the church. The only art works that came from “The Dark Ages” were parts from the bible or art portraying Christian events. Also, artists during this time were not allowed to express their feelings through their work because of the church rules, so many pieces of art were anonymous. Next, the most popular art during this time consisted of the Gothic and Islamic art. Gothic art told stories through pictures and most of the work was very dark, using colors like black, brown or gray most of the time. Some artists during this time included Duccio di Buoninsegna, who painted the Rucellai Madonna; Konrad Witz, who created The Altarpiece of the Virgin; and Giotto who made St. Paul. All of these paintings contained some religious surroundings. Along with various artists, there were many architects who created architecture containing religious scenes or patterns, along with many churches and cathedrals. Some artists included Giovanni di Balduccio, who sculpted the Annunciation. As you can see, the religion greatly affected the art during this time, resulting in many aspects that led to the medieval period being dark.
Religion basically controlled all aspects of living in the Medieval Period. Many aspects such as literature, art and philosophies were all affected by the rules of the church. There was a lack in literature during this era because of the discouragement of developing own ideas and many pieces of literature were anonymous, as well as many pieces of art and architecture. Religious control also affected many philosophies because of Christianity, limited the ideas during this time. Overall, since the freedom of any kind of expression was prohibited, there was no “light’ on literature, art or ideas in the Medieval Period.
Outline:
I Thesis: The Medieval Period was called “The Dark Ages” mainly because of the religious control.
II The literature during this time period was mostly regulated by the church.
A. anonymous pieces of literature
1. fear of punishment
B. lack of literature
1. lack of ideas
a. christianity
C. religious purposes only
D. examples
1. Beowulf
2. Digenis Acritas
3. The Cloud of Unknowing
III The art of the Medieval Period contributed greatly to the reason why this era was called “The Dark Ages”.
A. artwork based on relgious events
1. portrayed Christian events
B. anonymous work
C. Gothic art
1. Dark/dark colors
D. examples
1. Duccio di Buoninsegna
2. Konrad Witz
3. Giotto
E. Architects/architecture
1. churches/cathedrals
IV.
V. Conclusion
The Medieval Period was called “The Dark Ages” mainly because of the religious control. To start, the church held all power and people felt obliged to follows all the rules of the church. If the people didn’t follow these obligations, they were excommunicated. Christianity also influenced a lot of work during this time which meant people weren’t allowed to develop their own ideas. This reliance on religion affected the literature, art and philosophies of this time.
The literature during this time period was mostly regulated by the church. First, the church controlled much of what people did, said, and created, leaving many people fearful of their punishment if they disobeyed the rules of the church. This intimidation led authors to make much of their work anonymous in order to cover up their identities and avoid any punishment. For that reason, much of the medieval literature was not claimed to just one person. Also, little literature was being produced because the ideas were limited. Since Christianity discouraged creating own ideas and literature was restricted to religious purposes only, there was little literature produced during this era. Some examples of medieval literature are Beowulf, Digenis Acritas and The Cloud of Unknowing, all of which contain some religious background. Beowulf is one of the most important works of Anglo Saxon and is an epic poem about a hero defeating a fiend. Digenus Acritas is another famous epic poem and The Cloud of Unknowing is a guide to seek god. Overall, literature contributed to the name of “The Dark Ages” because of the anonymous authors and the lack of ideas.
The art of the Medieval Period contributed greatly to the reason why this era was called “The Dark Ages”. Similar to literature, many artists had to base their work on religious events or the church. The only art works that came from “The Dark Ages” were parts from the bible or art portraying Christian events. Also, artists during this time were not allowed to express their feelings through their work because of the church rules, so many pieces of art were anonymous. Next, the most popular art during this time consisted of the Gothic and Islamic art. Gothic art told stories through pictures and most of the work was very dark, using colors like black, brown or gray most of the time. Some artists during this time included Duccio di Buoninsegna, who painted the Rucellai Madonna; Konrad Witz, who created The Altarpiece of the Virgin; and Giotto who made St. Paul. All of these paintings contained some religious surroundings. Along with various artists, there were many architects who created architecture containing religious scenes or patterns, along with many churches and cathedrals. Some artists included Giovanni di Balduccio, who sculpted the Annunciation. As you can see, the religion greatly affected the art during this time, resulting in many aspects that led to the medieval period being dark.
Religion basically controlled all aspects of living in the Medieval Period. Many aspects such as literature, art and philosophies were all affected by the rules of the church. There was a lack in literature during this era because of the discouragement of developing own ideas and many pieces of literature were anonymous, as well as many pieces of art and architecture. Religious control also affected many philosophies because of Christianity, limited the ideas during this time. Overall, since the freedom of any kind of expression was prohibited, there was no “light’ on literature, art or ideas in the Medieval Period.